MSF details violence and abuses faced by migrants in Central America and Mexico

These factors, in addition to physical and emotional fatigue, show the negative impact of the migratory experience on the mental health of migrants. Of the almost 3,800 mental health consultations provided by MSF in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, 48 per cent note acute stress as the main diagnosis, followed by cases of depression (12 per cent), anxiety (11 per cent), post-traumatic stress disorder (8 per cent), among others. 

In addition, violence appeared as the main cause affecting people’s emotional state in more than half of the initial mental health consultations we have provided. This is then followed by the separation or loss of family members and other medical conditions. 

In terms of physical health, the report emphasises the respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases that affect migrants throughout their journeys, but especially in Honduras and Guatemala. It also details the gaps in care for chronic diseases, which need continuity in their treatment. 

Migrants with these conditions usually seek more care in Mexican territory, particularly in cities bordering the United States. There have been three times more consultations for hypertension and two times more consultations for diabetes in Mexico than in Honduras and Guatemala. 

MSF calls for better security management for migrants, and the guarantee of access to healthcare and essential services without discrimination, in addition to eradicating impunity in cases of violence, sexual violence and human trafficking against them.